


Behind The Curtain

by TriCypher



Category: X-Men Evolution
Genre: Child Neglect, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:42:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28706865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TriCypher/pseuds/TriCypher
Summary: An experimental piece loosely based off of a series I am planning on writing. A short one shot, centered around Lance and Pietro. Implied child neglect.
Relationships: Lance Alvers/Pietro Maximoff
Kudos: 22





	Behind The Curtain

Scott Summers was currently engaged in a verbal battle with Lance Alvers. Jean Grey stood at his side, looking throughly unimpressed with the display. She often commented that it was almost like the two boys scheduled these weekly, petty arguments. 

"Shove it up your ass, Summers!" Lance snapped irritably. "Oh yeah? Well you know what, Alvers-" 

Jean stared at The Brotherhood's leading member with furrowed brows. With concern, she realized that Lance didn't look... alright. The bags under his eyes were too dark, his cheekbones to prominent, his clothes hanging noticeably loose. His eyes looked like he was currently carrying the weight of the world, and his shoulders sagged with it. Jean was contemplating dipping into his mind to see what was going on when Scott's voice brought her back to focus. 

"Alvers? Alvers, man, are you okay?" Lance was swaying on his feet, and Jean saw his eyes gloss over. Scott, quick on his feet as always, launched forward to catch Lance as he fell, preventing the rock-tumbler from cracking his head open. Scott eased Lance onto the floor with effort. Despite Scott's own size, he struggled with 6'3 of Lance Alvers. 

Jean dropped to her knees on Lance's other side while Scott supported his head, a small crowd gathering around them in the hallway. Jean gently lay a hand on Lance's head determined to get to the bottom of what was wrong. She quickly found his latest memory, right before his confrontation with Scott. Through Lance's eyes, she watched the memory play out. 

He was in his Jeep, Todd Tolanski in the passenger seat. Todd was staring at Lance with an intense level of seriousness Jean had never seen on the boy's face before. He usually took even the most dire situations as a joke. 

"You need food, Lance." "I can go longer," Lance was saying. "We just don't have enough for all of us to eat right now and you know I need to eat least." "Lance, you cannot continue like this any longer. Let me steal you some food at lunch." "Give it to Pietro, he needs it more, he only had an apple today." "Dammit, Lance!" Todd said, distraught. "At least Pietro ate. You haven't eaten in two days!" 

"Pietro and Freddy need to eat," Lance muttered weakly. "Fuck, rock-brain! Please be logical! They haven't eaten enough, and they won't eat enough, even if you give them your food. They may need to take priority when distributing the food we have, but you still need to eat. I am stealing you a sandwich at lunch and you're gonna eat it, yo. Don't make me get 'Tro,-" 

Jean was interrupted from the memory by a commotion. Pietro Maximoff had parted the crowd and was striding towards the two X-Men knelt over his teammate. 

"What did you do to him?" His voice was steely and his eyes cold, clearly restraining himself in front of their peers. Scott went to get defensive, but was stopped by Jean's hand on his arm. "We didn't do anything, Pietro. He and Scott were arguing and he passed out. We're taking him to the nurse." 

"No the hell you aren't." 

He was angry, Jean could tell, but his tone was even and his face neutral. His eyes landed on Scott where he was holding Lance's head, and Jean watched his eyes narrow with an air of possessiveness. 

It was normal not to be happy, seeing your teammate unconscious and surrounded by your rivals, but this seemed... deeper, somehow. Jean made a mental note to snoop around there later. 

Pietro stepped forward, glaring at Scott. He knelt down, reaching for Lance. "Get off him, Summers," he hissed, forcibly taking Scott's position. "And back off, Grey. Stay the fuck out of his mind." 

Jean was shocked that Pietro knew what she'd done. A guess would have made sense, but the anger and surety in Pietro's voice that it had already happened set her on edge. She backed off. "Pietro, he really should see the nurse-" 

"He's fine," Pietro snapped. Turning his glare on the crowd, he demanded "Scatter!" 

They listened. 

Lance stirred, slowly coming to. "'Tro?" "C'mon," Pietro murmured, helping him sit up. He stood over Lance and grasped his forearms, hoisting him to his feet. Lance leaned against the lockers and Pietro held onto his arm, giving him a moment to recuperate. "Let's go meet, Todd," Pietro sighed, sounding tired. Jean noted with slight alarm, that he looked similar to Lance in his physical state. Tired, weak, and underfed. 

The two ignored Scott and Jean as they slowly made their way to the bathroom. Pietro felt their eyes boring into his back as he led Lance away and tried to ignore it. They needed to mind their own business. "Come on, Lancelot. Let's get away from the noses X-Geeks," he muttered. 

Todd Tolanski was leaning against the wall next to the bathroom door. Upon seeing his teammates, he opened the door and they all entered the empty bathroom.

"Sit," Pietro commanded, and Lance slid down the wall miserably. Todd pulled a sandwich wrapped in cellophane from his pocket, unwrapping it and handing it to Pietro, who crouched down in front of Lance. The speedster tore a piece off the sandwich and held it up to Lance's mouth. "Lance," he said, in a tone that left no room for argument. "Eat." 

"No, Pietro, you need that sandwich more than m-" "Eat the fucking sandwich, Alvers." Lance reluctantly opened his mouth and allowed Pietro to feed him the food like he was a toddler. 

They heard Todd leave quietly. 

Neither of them spoke as Pietro fed Lance, who was much too drained to protest. "There," Pietro said, feeding him the last piece of sandwich. "You needed that. Don't argue. Next time, when I tell you to eat, you eat, got it?" "Only if you've eaten first," Lance grumbled. Pietro sighed and sat down beside him. After a beat of quiet, he chuckled. Lance looked at him warily. "Passing out in front of Scott Summers should be enough motivation to accept food when we give it to you next time, hm?"

Lance couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips. "Shut up," he mumbled, closing his eyes. His head came to rest on Pietro's shoulder, and his body warmed when Pietro placed a soft kiss to the top of his scruffy hair before resting his cheek on top of Lance's head. Lance sighed. "What are we gonna do, 'Tro?" Pietro was quiet. 

"We'll figure something out," he whispered eventually, but even he sounded unsure. 

"Come on, big guy,” he said eventually. “I'll take you to the nurse. There's only one period left, you can lay down until school let's out." "Okay." Lance let Pietro help him up, standing more steadily on his feet after having eaten. Pietro held his hand until they left the bathroom, where he promptly let go. However, he discreetly pressed into the taller boy's side before they eventually parted at the nurse's office. 

As Lance lay on the uncomfortable cot, waiting for the final bell, he contemplated. He wasn't confident that everything would be okay. But if he had Pietro by his side, he was ready to face whatever would happen next.

**Author's Note:**

> Again, this is experimental! May not fit into the storyline when I begin producing the series!


End file.
